Chapter One: Lull Before the Storm

Depth 26: Aurora Isles
A lone Lumber stood in the Jigsaw Valley, waiting for its brethren to arrive. Unlike normal Lumbers, this one had the gear and wrench Crimson Order symbol on its back. The others would not be long now. The Lumber looked behind him, and saw a scared Cobalt Knight staring at him. The Cobalt Knight timidly raised his Calibur as if he had any chance of defeating the mechanical behemoth. The Lumber also raised its weapon; a bulky log for a fist. Two seconds later, the knight was nothing more than a stain on the ground. As the Lumber wiped its fist on some leaves, it heard the sound of a tree when it is cut down and hits the ground, except multiplied by a thousand. The Lumber pivoted on its stumps for feet and saw his legion approaching. Thousands of Lumbers marching towards the next elevator up, as they did every depth they reached, until they inevitably reached Haven. The Lumber made the closest thing it could do, to a smile.

Depth ???: Grand Arsenal
"ALL of them?! ALL OF THEM!?" Warmaster Seerus bellowed. A frightened Ghostmane Stalker stuttered, "Um... Yes all of the Lumbers have gone missing.". "How could this have happened? I thought that all of the constructs were under my control!".Warmaster Seerus was furious. Every single Lumber under his control had mysteriously vanished without a trace. Herex would have his head for this...

Depth 0: Spiral HQ
Some admired him, some feared him, but everyone respected him. With his Voltedge in hand, he strolled towards Spiral HQ. Lieutenant Feron himself had summoned him. It had to be important. As he entered the headquarters, the Wardens guarding the door nodded to him. Feron was waiting for him in the main meeting room. "Hello Pendragon, I'm glad you could join me." he said, "There's something I need you to see.".

Feron led Pendragon to the dungeons where a Lumber was chained to the wall. "According to this Lumber's data banks, it was part of an army of Lumbers created by Warmaster Seerus. The army was made to march up the Clockworks to invade Haven. Judging by the number of soldiers in it, Haven will fall within 1 day of the army arriving" Feron said to Pendragon with a tinge of worry to his voice, "Our lead scientists think that we have 10 days before the battalion of Lumbers reach Haven.". Pendragon cringed at the thought of a whole army of Lumbers in Haven. "And that's where you come in," Feron continued, "We need you to go to Seerus's Grand Arsenal and interrogate him about this army. We will need all of the help we can get.". Pendragon thought for a moment. All of the missions he had done were always about saving a few lives, collecting an artefact the Spiral Order wanted. Safe and easy things, but the thought of the future of Haven resting on his shoulders made him feel sick. Feron quickly remarked when he saw Pendragon's worried expression, "Obviously, you will have a team of 3 others to help you on your journey.". Pendragon thought about opting out, but then he realised that if he didn't do this, then all of Haven would fall because of him. "Alright," He said at last, "I'll do this."

Depth 18: Emberlight
Staark paced the outskirts of Emberlight, for today it was his day for the border patrol. He didn't mind the job. It gave him something to do other than practice shooting crates with his Master Blaster. Tonight, the outskirts were almost too peaceful. Normally, he would see at least one stray Wolver scurrying around looking for scraps or a few silkwings hanging around the rubbish pile like flies, but not today. When he was about to retire for the night he heard a twig snap. He glanced around and saw the faint glow of a crystal. He frowned, because the knights usually break down the crystals when they form. He used the dim light of his Fierce Flamberge to see further, and received a nasty shock. It was a Gremlin Knocker. Staark still had bad memories from the time when he was a knocker himself. Knockers were Gremlin children taken from their homes and were
enlisted into the army against their will. All of them had the same choice. Fight or Die. Whether they would die from the blades of knights or from the abusive commander finding out that they were slacking was always a mystery. Although he didn't want to, Staark knew that it was his duty to keep gremlins from the colony away from Emberlight. He closed his eyes as he sliced off the poor Knocker's head. Staark brooded over the cruel and perhaps unnecessary kill of the gremlin when he realised; Gremlin Knockers don't travel alone.
This was going to be a long night.

Chapter Two: Clouds Forming

Depth 0: Spiral HQ
Feron escorted Pendragon to the Arcade where three knights stood. Feron began to introduce Pendragon to the knight in the Snarbolax coat,"Pendragon, meet Valon. He is one of our star Recons who was involved in many missions where espionage was necessary. He would be a useful ally for when you are sneaking into the Grand Arsenal". He then moved onto the knight with a Grey Feather Cowl on his head, "This is Vincent. He was the fighter we chose to defeat Arkus; the knight turned Trojan. He is one of our best fighters, and he has never been bested in one on one combat and would be a valuable edition to any squad". "Call me Vinny" said Vincent. Feron then approached the third knight in a wolver set, "And last but not least, Marmalade has had a hard life so far. He had failed most of his missions, barely making it out alive. However, he is one of our better support bombers so he should be... useful.". Pendragon looked at his team. They looked like they would be useful, even Marmalade. "Okay team, let's go!" he announced.

Depth 7: Wolver Den
Marmalade started winding his Haze Bomb and asked, "Hey Pendragon, how much further until we get to the Grand Arsenal?". Pendragon looked at his map for a while and then replied "Uh... Feron said that in Emberlight there would be an gremlin escort there willing to take us to the Grand Arsenal. Apparently he has a grudge against Seerus so he should be trustworthy.". A few rooms after that, there was a party button. All four stood on it and several Wolvers appeared around them. Marmalade ran behind the wolvers and placed the Haze bomb he had been charging. A few seconds later it exploded stunning all of the wolvers within its radius. Vincent immediately lept into the fray and began hacking and slashing at the wolvers. Pendragon began to take on the alpha wolver when a chromalisk from behind tripped him up. He took out the chromalisk with ease but the alpha wolver lept on top of him and was about to take a bite when an Acheron impaled the alpha wolver through the heart. Pendragon looked around to see who his saviour was and he found Valon grinning holding his recon cloak with pride.

Depth 18: Emberlight
Staark gripped his Faust anxiously waiting for more gremlins to come out of the shadows, but he heard nothing. He was about to go back and go to sleep when he noticed that his reflection on a sheet of metal was somewhat distorted. King Krogmo had invited him to watch a few Lockdown games after Staark quashed a devilite uprising in the Coliseum; so he knew how light acted when it reflects upon a Recon Cloak. He was disturbed about this for a few reasons. Firstly, why would a knight bring a recon cloak to Emberlight? Secondly, why would a Recon be working with a gremlin? Staark fired a warning shot towards the light disturbance with his Master Blaster. The disturbance shimmered and became a Ghostmane Stalker. Staark grabbed his Faust and slashed at the gremlin ninja. The stalker anticipated this and dodged out of the way before throwing three buzzsaw blades towards him. Staark blocked the blades with his sword and stabbed the Ghostmane Stalker through the heart. And then, he went to sleep.

Chapter Three: Rainfall

Depth ???: Grand Arsenal/
"Warmaster!" the Ghostmane Stalker yelled. "What is it Toren?" Seerus inquired. Toren panted. It seemed that he had been running for a while. When he got his breath back he said "We intercepted a comlink message from Haven to Emberlight,". "Continue," Seerus leaned forwards, interested. "It was to tell a gremlin in Emberlight, that a group of knights were going to come here to interrogate you about the Lumber army.".
Seerus grimaced "So they know about that as well. Remove all guards and turrets on the way here. We would not like to be ungracious hosts now would we?".

Depth 18: Emberlight
"Okay, we're here" Pendragon announced enthusiastically. The other knights waved at Kozma happily, glad to see another knight in the mechanical underground world they called the Clockworks. Kozma nodded in return. New knights were nothing new in Emberlight. The party headed to Gracken, the general goods merchant. Pendragon went up to him and asked "Do you know where we can find.." Pendragon looked at the mission briefing, "Staark?". Gracken nodded, "So you are the knights going to the Grand Arsenal?". "Yep" Pendragon replied. "He is in his house. It is the one at the end of the road on the right. You cannot miss it.". Pendragon headed to the house while the others purchased vials and capsules that they might need on their journey.

Staark was lying in bed thinking about what had happened last night when there was a knock on the door. He groaned and got up. He looked through the keyhole and saw a knight in Azure Guardian armor looking back. This must be the people he was escorting to the Grand Arsenal. He opened the door and said blearily "Hello?". Pendragon smiled when he saw the gremlin and told him about his mission. The gremlin nodded and said "I will be ready in two minutes".

Depth 23: Clockworks Terminal
"So this is the way to the Grand Arsenal?" Pendragon asked. Staark had led them to a secret passage near the elevator entrance. "Yes it is. This will lead you all the way to the entrance to Seerus's Arsenal. I shall wait here until you return". Staark bowed and opened the hatch for the knights to crawl through.

Depth ???: Crimson Storage Facility
The party waited while Valon scouted out the area invisibly. After a few minutes, he came back and said puzzledly "It's odd. There are no monsters guarding the throne room!". Pendragon thought for a few seconds and replied "It could be a trap, so tread carefully.". In the long walk to Seerus's chamber, it was eerily quite and like Valon said there was nobody active guarding the area. Marmalade noticed a few deactivated Mecha Knights and threw a screw that he found on the ground at one of them. He flinched expecting them to come to life any second and slice him to bits, but it never happened. Eventually, after what felt like years they reached Seerus's room and Pendragon grabbed his Storm Driver and kicked the door in.
Seerus sat calmly in his seat and said to the Spiral Knights, "Hello, I have been expecting you.".

Chapter Four: Greying Clouds

Depth 27: Candlestick Keep
The knight in Jelly Mail ran down the hallways of the Candlestick Keep hurriedly. The footsteps were coming closer. He was terrified for his life. He wasn't running from the Howlitzers or even the ghostly Grimalkin. No, he was running from something even more terrifying. He saw a faint light ahead. At last! He had reached the embracing light of the enchanted candles! However, as he got closer he saw that the light wasn't from a candle. It was from eyes. Two horrifying glowing eyes. The knight stared blankly at the eyes and turned around and ran even faster, realising what the eyes meant. He turned a corner and saw what he was looking for. He heard the buzzing and whirring of the Clockworks elevator and immediately rejoiced. He heard the footsteps getting faster and faster until they were running. Towards him. The knight bolted towards the elevator but alas, he tripped on a pile of books that a clumsy Owlite must have dropped. An arm grabbed his foot. He screamed. The spookats laughed.

Depth 26: Ice Maul arena
The arena was in full swing today. Knights valiantly fought against the hordes of enemies, striving to complete all three arenas and become Arena champions. They were beating the monsters too. When they were almost at the end of the waves, one of the knights heard Lumbers. This was odd, because Lumbers were not usually found in this arena. The monsters stopped too. This was even more confusing. Why would the enemies be unsure of other enemies? The knights grabbed their weapons as the first Lumber came. Then another. And another. And more until the knights couldn't keep track of how many Lumbers there were. The knights fought courageously, downing Lumber after Lumber but they kept on coming, and the knights started to get injured. Eventually, the knights fell. The Lumbers moved onto the next elevator up as if the loss of their companions was a mere inconvenience.

Depth ???: Grand Arsenal
"I never thought that I would say this, but I need your help.". Pendragon froze. Was this some kind of trap? Why would Seerus of all creatures ask for a knight's help? "You may have noticed some Lumbers with the Crimson Order symbol," Seerus continued, "I assure you, they were not under my control. I have the location of their power console, which when activated will turn off every single one of them, halting the invasion of Haven and leaving me to transport them back here. Pendragon asked "Why should we help you? What's stopping me from cutting of your head right now?". Seerus smiled "I was expecting that you might be reluctant to help me. Well you should help me, because I am the only one who knows where the power console is and who knows the codes to turn them off. If not, the Lumbers will reach Haven and kill every single Spiral Knight. Either way, I win. Now, will you help me or not?". Pendragon was unsure, so he said "May I discuss this with my team?". Seerus replied "By all means.".
The party huddled together and whispered to each other. "We can't trust him he's a murderer!", "We have no choice but to help him.", "What about all of the people he's killed? What about them?", "More people are going to die if we don't help Seerus.". After a few minutes of this, Pendragon walked up to Seerus and announced, "We have made a decision.". Seerus asked "What will it be? Trust me, or let your friends and families die?". Pendragon flinched and said "It looks like we have no choice but to help you.".
"Excellent".

Chapter Five: The First Thunderclap

Depth 23: Clockworks Terminal
Staark smiled when he saw Pendragon and his team come back through the passage but the smile faded as quickly as it came when he saw Seerus crawling through. "What is he doing here!?" Staark hissed. Pendragon saw that Staark was angry and tried to calm him down, "Calm down Staark he's with us now". Staark was furious. They dared ally with the gremlin who killed his parents? "He is with you, not me". And on that note, he stomped off elsewhere.

Pendragon was sad about Staark but his mission was more important. He turned to Seerus, "So how do we get into the command center?". Seerus thought for a second. "It is only a few levels beneath us, but they will probably have some of their forces guarding it. However, it will not be that simple. I was gambling with King Krogmo when I started losing a lot of money. I did not have any money, so I gave him my power console key. It is quite shiny and looks like it is made of gold. I was drunk on a volt oil cocktail at the time, so I was not thinking straight. We are good friends, so I might be able to get it back". Pendragon remarked "Well, it's worth a shot. Let's go!".

Depth 0: Coliseum Office
Seerus went up to King Krogmo who was supervising the Lockdown match which was going on. "Hey Krogmo!" Seerus said. King Krogmo turned around and when he saw Seerus he smiled, "Seerus my pal! What brings you here?". "Well you know that golden disc I gave you last year?". Krogmo scratched his head for a few seconds and smiled ,"Yes I remember it. Why? Do you want it back?". Seerus smiled "Yes, I do. May I have it?".

King Krogmo cunningly smiled "I will let you have it, on one condition". "Name it." said Seerus. "I want you and your party of knights to beat 5 rounds of my new coliseum game I'm testing. It's called Surrounded. All you have to do, is fight all the waves of monsters I send at you. If you die, you lose". Seerus was worried but hid it masterfully, "Should not be too hard".

Depth ???: Arena Zone
The knights and Seerus stood back to back. Seerus with his Rocket Hammer, Pendragon with his Voltedge, Valon with his Nightblade, Vinny with his Triglav and Marmalade scaredly winding his Haze Bomb. They could see the monsters pounding at the gates, hungrily waiting to be unleashed onto the knights. King Krogmo pulled the lever letting the monsters out and the party disappeared under a wave of claws, gel and metal. Seerus and Pendragon worked together to fend off the robots while Valon was taking care of the jellies and gremlins. Meanwhile, Vincent and Marmalade kept the Lumbers off the team's back. Marmalade placed a Haze Bomb stunning the enemies while Vinny knocked them away with his Triglav. Pendragon was dueling with a Mecha-Knight when it knocked him away with its shield. It was about to stab him when Seerus destroyed its support frame with his hammer and sent it flying. After a few minutes of this, they managed to kill every single one of them. Krogmo clapped with praise. "Well done knights and Seerus! I didn't expect you to get this far. Now I shall tell you where the disc is". Seerus frowned "You mean you do not have the disc?". "Admittedly, yes. I was in possession of it until a group of rogue devilites who call themselves the Iron Pitchfork stole it from me. I heard that they were working for the army of Lumbers". Pendragon asked "Where can we find them?". King Krogmo sighed, "I'm not too sure myself, but I have heard that they operate within the Dark City, in Depth 24. However, I have heard that the Lumber army is currently occupying that area now, so you will have to be careful".

Depth 27: Candlestick Keep
A knight wearing a Divine Veil sat in a corner of the Candlestick Keep clutching his Divine Avenger. He was cold, but the blade gave him warmth. He was not afraid of the monsters, for the angels warded them away. His glowing eyes lit up the small corner he was in. He whispered over and over again, feeling safer by the minute.
"They must not reach the Core. They must not reach the Core. They must not reach the Core. They must not reach the Core."

Chapter Six: Fiendish Winds

Depth 24: Dark City
Staark stood poised on the building. He didn't believe that the Lumbers just escaped the Grand Arsenal. Seerus must have let them out. That was why he was here. To find answers. He looked at the building in front of him, Brimstone Corporations. He had to be careful though, the street was swarming with Lumbers. They were all marching towards the next elevator in single file. It seemed a bit too organised for haywire automatons, he thought as the Lumbers rode the elevators up one by one. At this rate, they would get to Haven in a few days. Although Staark didn't really care about the plight of the knights who allied themselves with his worst enemy, but he didn't want the thousands, maybe millions of people in Haven to die. There was enough death in this world already, he thought as he leapt into the office block.

Pendragon and Co. sneaked through the alleys of the dark city. Lumbers were all over the place. It would be dangerous to stay here for too long. They would find the golden disc, and get out. The only problem was, they didn't know where the Iron Pitchfork were. Krogmo had said that he thought that the disc was in here, but he didn't specify where. Pendragon at last ordered "Valon, go scout out locations where the Iron Pitchfork may be located, and once you find them report back. Valon silently nodded and disappeared.

Staark crashed through a window to find a horde of devilites sitting in cramped cubicles. No wonder they were always so aggressive thought Staark as he brought out his Fierce Flamberge, ready to barbecue any devilite who came near. He dodged to the left from a computer which must have costed thousands of crowns and spiked one of the devilites, as a warning to the others. He stormed into the C.E.O's office and barricaded the door with a bookcase. He went up to the Pit Boss and held his Flamberge as a warning. "Tell me who you are serving before I impale your skull". The Pit Boss stammered "Um... I don't actually know. We just got this letter from the Grand Arsenal to manufacture Lumber parts". Staark kicked the table furiously "I knew that Seerus was up to no good!". "May I go now?" the Pit Boss squeaked nervously. Staark looked at him with a glare that could split mountains in half. "Fine... I don't care". He had to warn the others before it was too late.

Valon came back smiling. "I found an abandoned warehouse which has some devilites inside. I suggest we subdue and interrogate them". Pendragon nodded, "Sounds like a plan. Let's go!". After a few minutes, they reached the warehouse. Pendragon began counting down "3... 2... 1... Go!". They burst through the warehouse doors. What they found, were ten Trojans waiting for them. Valon gasped "They weren't here when I scoped this area out!". In seconds, the squad was cornered by the Trojans. Pendragon struggled to think of a plan when a sword came down on his head and he was knocked unconscious. When he came to, he and the others were tied up against the wall with a few Pit Bosses examining them. "Ah, I see that you're awake. We were just about to meet up with Sullivan when you woke up". Pendragon's eyes widened. Sullivan? The coliseum rewards supervisor? He was the one who took the disc from Krogmo! Pendragon struggled with his ropes as the Pit Bosses left. He could hear loud thumping footsteps. They needed to get out and fast.
The Lumbers were coming.

Chapter Seven: Hurricane Sullivan

Depth 0: Haven
Sullivan stood on his stand sipping his coffee. He just sat here all day selling recipes to battle hungry knights. Suddenly, just as he was about to order a new coffee from his assistant devilite, his pager beeped, "They know about the disc. Come to the Dark City immediately.". Sullivan froze. This could only mean one thing. They knew about his betrayal. He opened the Krogmo treasure box he was standing on to take out a Gran Faust. This sword had been passed down from his ancestors for eons and had come down to him. He trudged to an Arcade elevator and told Feron, "Is it okay if I take the rest of the week off?". Feron said "Sure, just get one of the other devilites to replace you". Sullivan punched in the secret elevator codes that would take him straight to the Dark City. He pressed the "Descend" button and headed down.

Depth 27: Candlestick Keep
A pair of Vanguards patrolled the Candlestick Keep. They had heard rumours about a rogue knight residing there and wanted to subdue him. They reached a fork in the road. One in Skolver armour said, "Hey Bob, I think that we should split up and check both ways". The other who was wearing the Justifier Jacket replied "Sure Dan". Bob turned the corner to get a hand clamped over his mouth. "Stay quiet", a voice whispered. He tried to scream but was silenced. The shadowy figure dragged him to a chair and sat him down on it. "Why do you seek the Core?!", the figure asked, "Do you want to anger the angels!?". Bob eventually gathered the strength to push off the hand and screamed "DAN!!!".

Further down the other corridor, Dan heard his name called. "Bob!" he exclaimed. He ran towards the shadowy figure while drawing his Glacius out of its scabbard. The figure hissed and sliced off Bob's head with a Divine Avenger. Dan howled and rolled past the figure and aiming his sword sideways into the figure's side. The knight turned around with surprising speed and countered with a Grey Owlite shield, stunning Dan. Dan desperately tried to crawl away but the shadowy knight pointed the sword downwards towards Dan's chest as if performing a sacrifice. Dan tried to push away the blade but it came down slicing through his chest. With his last breath, Dan croaked "What kind of monster are you?". The knight looked down at him and said in the voice of a man who should be locked up in an asylum, "My name is Ragmuth Heavensglare".

Depth 24: Dark City
Seerus could hear the Lumbers coming closer now. They were probably right outside the door. He twisted his hands and cut the rope with his hands. He then did the same for the others. "We have to get out of here before the Lumbers arrive!" said Seerus. Pendragon looked around, "Is there a way out through the windows up there?". Seerus looked up, "It probably could let all of us fit through, but how would we get through?". Valon had the answer. He brought out a grappling hook from his bag. "All recons are required to have one of these in case we need to climb up something in espionage missions" he said. He looked up, took aim and threw it as far as it would go. It crashed through the window, making an easy way to the building next to the warehouse. Pendragon began climbing up as the Lumbers broke down the doors. After Pendragon, Seerus slung his hammer over his back and climbed up the rope with ease. After him, Valon, Vinny and then Marmalade went up the rope. A Lumber reached the rope just as Marmalade started up. It grabbed his foot with its massive hand and started to pull him down. "Guys! Help!" he screamed. Vinny saw him and slid down the rope and held out his hand for Marmalade. Marmalade was about to grab his hand when he realised that if he did, then the Lumbers would get both him and Vinny. He didn't want that to happen to his friends. His life had been full of bad luck. He didn't want to share it to anyone else. "Run! I'll hold them off!". Vinny went back up sadly. He didn't look as the Lumbers surrounded Marmalade as he desperately tried to hack them away with his Cautery Sword. He didn't stand a chance.

Staark sifted through pages of "Employee of the Month" and eventually found a name he recognized: Sullivan. He thought nothing of it because he remembered Sullivan saying that he worked in the Dark City when he was young. After a second look, he found something disturbing. Sullivan was the employee of the month this month. Which meant he still worked here. Staark went to an Employee tracking board and saw that searching Sullivan pointed directly below him. The basement. He took the work elevator down. Staark marveled at how shadow energy alone was enough to power these mechanical contraptions. At the basement, he saw the red devilite waiting for him. "Sullivan," said Staark, "Why are you doing this? Wasn't serving the knights enough for you?". Sullivan sniffed in disinterest "What did they ever do for me except persecute my kind simply for being in the way? My new master promised me control of all of the Devilites in this City". "So you're just after the power. Like all devilites. This isn't about revenge for the knights. It's just you wanting to have the upper hand" Staark sneered. Sullivan growled "You will regret insulting me". He brought out his Gran Faust. Staark grabbed his Flamberge tightly.
And then, they dueled.

Chapter Eight: Lightning Strikes

Depth 24: Dark City
Marmalade had seen wolver pups once, when he was in the Aurora Isles. He noticed how they played dead when some gremlins came nearby. Amazingly, it worked for them. This memory flashed through his mind as he desperately tried to roll away from the wooden hammer-like fists crashing down on his head. This wasn't a good sign. He had heard that your life flashes before you when you are about to die. This was probably part of it. It gave him an idea though, and he then lay still on the ground pretending to be dead. A few Lumbers nudged him, but their basic computer chip brains probably didn't realise that he wasn't alive. They didn't have in built heat sensors, so there was no way that they could tell if he was alive or not. Eventually, they left. Marmalade looked up for the rope but it was gone. The others must have taken it in the action. He wasn't surprised though. He didn't think that he would make it out alive. He decided to try and meet up with them. He guessed that they would go down, so he took an elevator down to Depth 25. He expected that they would be at the Core, so he decided to head there. It looked like his luck was finally getting better. Little did he know what was between him and the Core...

Pendragon looked curiously as he saw Vinny come through the window without Marmalade. "Vinny, where is Marmalade?" asked Pendragon. Vinny croaked, after sniffling, "He... He didn't make it out". Pendragon was distraught. He had lost teammates before, but it never got any less sad. Seerus didn't understand all the fuss about one dead companion. He guessed that they didn't have a mender on hand to resurrect him. He stayed silent out of respect alone. After they were finished moping, Pendragon said, "I think we should head for that building over there". He pointed towards Brimstone Corporations. Valon looked over. It looked like the kind of place you'd hide a golden disc. "Sure," he said, "Sounds like a plan".

Staark looked carefully at the Gran Faust. Two hits from it would probably kill him. He studied his own Flamberge. It could probably hurt Sullivan a lot as well. He lunged towards Sullivan with the rapier extended and cut a deep wound in his side. Sullivan knocked it away with the Gran Faust and went for a downwards strike towards Staark's skull. Staark quickly held up the Fierce Flamberge in an attempt to block the broadsword. The Faust clanged against the saber. The two blades were locked together. Staark looked at the strain on his Flamberge and quickly dived out of the way as it snapped in half. Holding half of the rapier, Staark dodged another swipe of the Gran Faust and blinded Sullivan by sticking the stub into his eyes. Sullivan screamed, "My eye! I can't see!". Staark used this opportunity and stabbed him in the gut, or whatever demons had down there. As Sullivan crumbled into dust he whispered "You can never stop the Lumber army". All that was left was the Gran Faust and a pile of stone dust. Staark examined the Gran Faust. It looked much stronger than his own Faust. He discarded his Faust and picked up the Gran Faust. He instantly felt a surge of dark energy flow through him. A voice whispered to him "You are now one of us....". He looked at his hands and saw that his body had turned pitch black. He looked in Sullivan's computer monitor and was shocked by the reflection staring back at him. His eyes had turned pink! He remembered reading the gremlin encyclopaedia once and seeing an entry on Void Thwackers "These dark creatures should be killed on sight.". Obediently, Staark tried to stab himself in the stomach to kill himself, but he couldn't. He had no control over himself. The swarm was taking over his body. It could see through all of his memories. He thought about Pendragon and his group. He had to warn them, before it was too late. The swarm saw this and made him head towards the exit.
Staark was now controlled by the Swarm.

Chapter Nine: Floodgates Bursting

Depth 27: Candlestick Keep
Candlestick Keep was a mystery to all. Even after being abandoned by the Owlites, Marmalade could still hear voices echoing through the halls. Even underground, a cold wind sent a shiver down his spine. Dark forces roamed the keep, but not the ones Marmalade was expecting. The Grimalkins were nowhere to be found, as if something or someone scared them off. What could scare the shadowy embodiment of chaos and evil, thought Marmalade. He didn't like it here, but he would have to go through it if he was to get to the Core. For a second he thought he saw two eyes looking at him through the windows, but he dismissed them for candles. But who would have candles outside?

Depth 18: Emberlight
"Good morning!" said Gracken enthusiastically to his customer. The customer nodded politely in reply and purchased a fire vial to cook their Chroma with. Gracken felt that it seemed too quiet. Normally, even in this town of outcasts the streets would be bustling with people. He too could feel something coming, like how animals can sense an earthquake before it comes. Gracken turned as the elevator came up, expecting some tired knights wanting to purchase vitapods and vials, but instead saw several Lumbers. "Kozma!" he yelled, but he was drowned out by the sound of the Lumbers marching towards them. Kozma burst out of her quarters to find the Lumbers marching towards the elevator up. Gracken valiantly tried to stop them but was met with a fist swiping his legs out from underneath him, leaving him paralysed. In his death throes, Gracken whispered to Kozma, who knelt beside him, "Warn Haven". Kozma nodded, with tears in her eyes and ran towards the elevator, taking it to Haven.

Depth 24: Dark City
The office was a busy place, observed Pendragon, watching as the cubicles bustled with devilites with Pit Bosses occasionally checking on them, either complimenting them on their work or requesting that they work overtime. Seerus showed a fake security pass to the lead boss who led them to a vault in the basement. The Pit Boss stood aside to let the knights help themselves to the disc when a magenta blade pierced his stomach, driving him to his knees. He managed to croak out a warning before he disintegrated into a pile of brimstone. Pendragon pivoted around to see Staark, only his fur was pitch black with purple hues. "Staark! What are you doing?!" exclaimed Valon. In a voice that was not his, Staark chuckled, "The demons will devour your soul. They grow stronger with every foe I kill. Yours will do nicely.". At this point they could see that he was beyond saving. Pendragon said defiantly, "You're outnumbered. You will never get past us". Staark hissed, more like a serpent than a gremlin, "Very well. Perhaps I cannot fight you now, but I will be watching. You will die by my hand when you least expect it.". And on that note, he disappeared into the shadows as mysteriously as he came. Vinny grabbed the golden disc off the pedestal and handed it to Seerus. Seerus examined it in his hands, before pressing a button in the center. The disc folded inwards, with small sheets of metal twisting and turning into place, before forming what looked to be an electronic crown. Seerus smiled, for the first time in a long while, "We should find the command centre at the Core terminal. Let us go!".

Depth 27: Candlestick Keep
They were coming. Ragmuth could feel it. He knew that they would come for their friend. They were heathens, not monsters. Heathens or not, they had fallen into his trap. This had been his plan all along. To use that foolish Knight as a bait to lure the others in, so that he could get rid of all of them at once. The more heathens killed, the better. He gripped his Divine Avenger tightly. He would need it for the battle ahead. Ragmuth was not scared though. He knew that the angels would protect him.

Depth 25: Deconstruction Zone
Pendragon and Co. headed towards the next elevator, hacking and slashing at the oncoming enemies. Valon beheaded, decapitated and sliced through the gremlins like butter. Seerus crushed the mecha-knights as easily as ants. There was no monster that was more than a match for the group. They freed several knights who were directed to Haven to help halt the Lumber army. Vinny knew that it was in vain unless they reached the console. The Lumbers would break through Haven's defences in a matter of minutes, let alone hours. No force in nature could stop an army of Lumbers, except perhaps a large amount of water, which they didn't have. His train of thought skidded to a halt when he saw the Lumbers guarding the elevator. It didn't take long to dispose of them, but they wouldn't be the last.

Depth 27: Candlestick Keep

The elevator made a creaking sound when it touched down to the Candlestick Keep. This was new. Most of the time elevators shuddered or made electronic sounds when they landed on a floor. Pendragon shook his head softly. This was no time for thoughts like those. They had a job to do. Even though the candles warded off the Grimalkins, he couldn't help but feel that there was something worse in the shadows, lurking in the corners watching them.

Marmalade whimpered. The knight, who referred to himself as Ragmuth had kept him here for what felt like hours. It was clear that Ragmuth was not entirely sane. No, far from it. He continuously muttered to himself, but in such a way that Marmalade was sure that he was talking to an invisible person. “They are coming. Do not worry angels. They are coming. The heathens shall fall tonight. These 'angels' were clearly the cause of his madness. Ragmuth kept looking over his shoulder as if someone was reviewing him, as Marmalade had seen devilites do when a Pit Boss was around. Ragmuth sat on a plain stool polishing his Avenger, almost savouring Marmalade's pained expression. “Soon your misery will be at an end little one.” chuckled Ragmuth, despite the fact that they were the same size. Marmalade tried to scream in protest but he could not. He was gagged and tied to a candle. It was not a preferable enchanted candle, but it was a normal candle which looked close to being put out. Sooner or later, a Grimalkin would come to feed on him. That is, if Ragmuth didn't kill him first.This was unlikely though, because Marmalade suspected that the only reason Ragmuth was still alive was because he kept on leaving out sacrifices for the Grimalkins to feed on. As long as their stomachs were full, Ragmuth would not be harmed by them. Marmalade did not share that luxury though, and wished his friends would hurry up.

Seerus grimaced. It would be a nightmare if the Lumbers reached Haven. No easy way to clean them up and bring them back to the Grand Arsenal. As well as the hundreds of innocent lives taken by the mechanical behemoths, but that wasn't that important. Seerus couldn't help but feel sorry for the knights. The only place they could call home would be destroyed in a day or so. Them closing down the command console would delay it of course, but sooner or later someone would come and burn the place down. Possibly the Almirians. They always did have a fiery temper. Literally. As they trudged through the forsaken halls of the Keep, Seerus realised that if the knights were wiped out, then no more gremlins would have to die, no innocent knockers sent into the line of duty to be inevitably wiped out, no demos torn apart by a misplaced wind-up bomb and no thwacker sliced in two by a sword-happy recruit. Seerus would have to think carefully about where his allegiances stood. Very carefully.

Marmalade struggled with the ropes around his wrist. He could hear the Grimalkin mewing now. If he could just get his gag off then he could call for help. He reached for the Swiss Army knife in his pocket and took out the blowtorch used for opening escape pods. It wasn't much of a weapon, but it would work. The candle's flame flickering hid the sound of the blowtorch somehow, allowing him to burn through the ropes. Fortunately, his wolver-hide gloves were fireproof. Now that his hands were at least free, he ripped out his gag and shouted at the top of his lungs, “HELP!”.

Pendragon stiffened, “Did you hear something?”. Valon listened for a second and nodded, “It came from that way,”, pointing towards a door at the end of the hallway. They rushed in to find Marmalade on the ground crawling towards them, “He's coming!”. Pendragon looked up to see Ragmuth striding towards them, Diving Avenger in hand, “You are too late mortals. The Grimalkin is already coming”. Vinny turned around to see a Grimalkin drift through the wall, blocking off their only escape. It resisted his attempts to ward it off with his Triglav and sent it clattering on the floor, leaving a sizeable dent. He lunged for it, only to be knocked to the ground, while the Grimalkin stared him down and made a bloodcurling meow.
As Pendragon and Seerus ran up to him, Ragmuth stood up straight and bellowed in a clear voice, “Come to me servants of the angels!”. Eight Slag Walkers promptly crawled out of the ground, their eye sockets blazing with fury. Pendragon thrusted his Voltedge into a Slag Walker and twisted it upwards, an arc of lava illuminating the path of the sword as he turned and stabbed another walker behind him. Seerus went head-to-head with Ragmuth, blocking each others blows and getting glancing swipes at places, but neither were severely injured. Valon was about to help Pendragon when he saw Vinny struggling with the Grimalkin. It was tearing through his defenses, and unaffected by his blows. Valon attempted to knock it away with his shield but even it was insufficient to halt it.

Marmalade crawled through the battlefield, wanting to help but finding no appropriate time. The candle that he had been tied to had gone out a few minutes ago, and there was no ember nearby to re-light it. He considered using his blowtorch, when he saw a much more suitable source. A Slag Walker. He stumbled towards the head of one of the deceased and picked it up. Even his fireproof gloves didn't stop him from feeling the heat of the flame soul within. He was almost to the candle when Ragmuth saw what he was doing and yelled, “ARISE!”. The skull woke up like it does when near a Grim Totem and hissed at Marmalade, showering him with volcanic spittle. It struggled to get out of his grasp and once realising that it was futile, unleashed its fiery breath, setting him aflame. Marmalade dropped it immediately and desperately patted his clothes down. He then recaptured the skull and held it over the candle lighting it. The enchanted candle glowed and the aura of light produced drove back the Grimalkin. The Grimalkin moaned and howled but it disappeared in a puff of purple smoke. Valon and Vinny helped Pendragon take care of the rest of the Slag Walkers, but Seerus was having more trouble. Seerus tried to jab at Ragmuth's stomach who blocked it and forced him to the ground. Ragmuth raised his sword in his sacrificial manner, aiming it downwards towards the heart. “You're going to pay! “. Seerus closed his eyes, and heard the sound of metal slicing through flesh. It was not through his however, and Seerus opened his eyes. He saw Ragmuth standing still, surprised. A red and white blade stuck out of his stomach. “That was for leaving me for the Grimalkin,” said Marmalade with unusual ferocity. He pulled it out, but pushed it back in immediately after, “That was for all the knights you killed!”. He then stepped back and thrusted it in again, “And that, was for revenge.”. Ragmuth collapsed and crawled through a secret passageway with surprising speed. Marmalade was about to go and get him but Pendragon rested a hand on his shoulder wearily, “He can't do us any harm. He's near dead anyway”. Marmalade sighed, “Fine, let's just go and stop the Lumbers,”.

Depth 29: The Core Terminal

The Core was like a Sun. Heating up the whole depth, it took all of Marmalade's willpower not to collapse in heat exhaustion. Seerus turned to the others and ordered, “Wait here. I will take care of the console”. He walked to a terminal, similar to the one stationed by Vaelyn, although there were no knights. Seerus opened up a console similar to that used by knights to accept missions. His finger hovered over the deactivate button. Seerus was about to press the button when a voice said, “I am afraid I can not let you do that Seerus,”. Seerus swiveled around to find Toren pointing an Umbra Driver at his head. “Toren! What are you doing here?”. Toren laughed, “What do you think Seerus? Letting the Lumbers destroy Haven of course. I thought you wanted the knights dead. You are a gremlin aren't you?”. Seerus wanted to throttle Toren, but he had an idea, “I used to think that, but after fighting alongside them, I realised that not all knights are bad,”. Toren cackled like a Zombie, “Look at you! You sound just like a stranger! Well enough of that. You are going to die and I will become the new Warmaster”. Seerus sighed, he couldn't let Toren realise his plan, “Fine. I suppose you'll want this mask,”. With that, Seerus took off his mask and handed it to Toren. Toren slid on the mask. Seerus smiled. Now for the final part of the plan, “Seerus!”, he shouted,”Get away from me!”. Toren looked puzzled, but smiled and said, “Have you gone mad already Seerus?”. Seerus chuckled, “Nope”. Toren's smile faded as a shadowy hand pulled him behind some boxes.
Staark grabbed Toren and said, “Hello Seerus”. Toren's eyes widened and he yelped, “I'm not Seerus!”. Staark frowned, ”Don't be silly, you're wearing the mask”. Toren realised what Seerus did and his defiant expression wilted. Staark held the Gran Faust to his throat, “This is for my parents”, and slit Toren's throat. At last the great menace was gone. Staark went to the elevator, satisfied. Seerus chuckled to himself about the deception as he pressed the button. A small icon popped up. Are you sure you want to end the Lumber invasion? Yes/No. Seerus pressed Yes and went to Emberlight to collect the drones.

Ragmuth looked down at the Core. A flaming ball of energy suspended in the center of a mechanical monstrosity. A riddle wrapped in a mystery. The Core called out to him. Voices screamed out in his head. Ragmuth was dying. He was mortally wounded. He wouldn't last much longer. Exhaustedly, he sighed, “I... have failed you.”, and jumped into the Core.

The End